Pickleball Magazine 6-3 WD | Page 28

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By Jennifer Lucore & Alex Hamner
Alex Hamner and Jennifer Lucore win silver in Senior Pro Doubles at the US Open Pickleball Championships in April .
Photo by Steve Taylor .

Snapshot of Weekend Play in the USA

The popularity of pickleball is not slowing down — we are just getting started ! Let ’ s take a dive into what one weekend of play equals : how many players ?

There are several stats about the number of pickleball players , but nothing is current . A 2020 report uses 2019 stats , so let ’ s look at the number of players in a given weekend in the United States . With the recent wrap-up of the US Open , we chose that weekend for our stats . And to start with an easily quantifiable number , we turned to pickleballtournaments . com to see what was listed for the number of players on the weekend of April 24 . Naples , Florida : 2,035 Branson , MO : 82 McKinney , Texas : 950 Thatcher , AZ : 70 St . George , UT : 424
Carmi , IL : 67
Valencia , CA : 370
Punta Gorda , FL : 66 Woodinville , WA : 183 Myrtle Beach , SC : 45 Griffin , GA : 156
Johns Creek , GA : 37
These tournaments alone had 4,485 players ! In comparison , in 1979 , there were 320 players in Seattle , Washington ’ s regional tournament . But remember , tournament players are a very small percentage of the total number of pickleball players . We also need to include those playing in :
+ Tournaments that do not pay to use a particular software to run their weekend events
+ Organized competition but non-tournament play , such as leagues , ladders , etc .
+ Organized non-competition such as camps , clinics and lessons
+ Facilities that offer courts for recreational play , like drop-in or open play
+ Play occurring on those lucky backyard courts , or in the street , driveway , etc .
You can see how the number of people playing pickleball at the same time in the USA adds up ! It could be one or two million in one weekend . What a great snapshot that would be ! •
Jennifer Lucore and Alex Hamner started playing pickleball in 2010 , and have competed in numerous tournaments across the U . S . Jennifer also competes internationally , and both ladies have been inducted into the Pickleball Hall of Fame . Jennifer and Alex have 26 national titles , but are best known for winning gold in Women ’ s Open Doubles at Nationals for four consecutive years ( 2011-2014 ). They live with their respective families in North San Diego County . For more pickleball fun , visit Jennifer ’ s blog at www . allpickleball . com .
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